Questions about blue foam

[dekalbave]

I got some appropriate 510 carts from strictlyejuice, along with pre-cut blue aquarium pre-cut blue foam filler. I took out the fluval from the cart, added six drops of juice, then used a flat pair of tweezers to put the blue foam in. Then I topped the foam off with a couple of drops of juice, till it was slushy, and put it on the atty.

I'm noticing two differences, and wondering if they are an indication of any problems.

1) The foam seems to "gurgle" a bit when I puff.

2) Not as much vapor comes out on the first puff as with the fluval/polyfill I'm used to. It takes a couple of puffs. I was wondering if the foam tends to flood the atty at all?

Thanks in advance.

 

[devnull71]

I tend to add about 6-8 drops to a 510 cart, slide the blue foam in, and then put one more drop on the top of it. The blue foam seems to take a few minutes to get completely saturated by the liquid and start wicking to the atomizer bridge. I do also get a little bit of leaking, which can cause gurgling in the atomizer. When that happens I just pull the cart off, and blow through the atomizer into a paper towel to force out the excess juice. In my experience, it's easier to flood the atty with blue foam than polyfill, but I tend to overfill my carts and haven't experimented with it much.

 

[Turco Chips]

The juice I buy comes in the standard squeeze bottles and I put in about 10-12 drops of juice in the cart - insert blue foam - topf off (usually 2-3 more drops).

When refilling said cart, I usually do this by adding a few drops at a time and in between adding drops hold the cart between my thumb and index finger shake it to force the juice down.

I use standard round 510 carts.

TC

 

[dekalbave]

Hmm, it's been about 1/2 hour now, and the gurgling has stopped and the problem with not getting enough vapor on the first puff seems to have disappeared. Perhaps it really is true that it takes a little longer for the foam to absorb it all the way through?

 

[JonB]

How does the Blue Foam comapre to the Pyramid Tea Bag/Straw method? I didn't have blue foarm handy, but tea bags and straws are easy. I made 3 PTB/Straw carts today and it seems to work. I may have to order some blue foam too

 

[dormouse]

If I put juice in the cart first, I then push the foam down into the juice, then reposition it where it should be, then top off with 1-2 drops. That way the foam is pre-wetted a bit.

I love how easy it is to rinse out blue foam under running water. Just remember to pat it dry before putting it back in the cart.

 

[Turco Chips]

Yes - When using a piece of blue foam for the fist time, the liquid doesn't wick real well through it. Once the foam is coated with juice, the juice flows more freely though it.


TC

 

[Turco Chips]

JonB - go to your local pet store. You can get a 3 pack of the blue aquarium foam that will last you a VEEEERY long time for about 10 bucks.


TC

 

[Carless]

I went out and purchased the blue type U foam and have been playing around with it but haven't perfected it yet. Can anyone point me to a thread or video that explains the best way to cut it for a 510 atty?

 

[devnull71]

Depends on how viscous your liquid is. I use about a 55/45 pg/vg mix, and if I just stuff a bone dry piece of blue foam into a filled cart, it does seem to take a bit for the liquid to fill all the air holes in the foam. Sometimes I'll use a paper clip to push the foam down into the filled cart, try to get it to fill like a sponge, then top it off with as much juice as it'll take.

It's far from perfect, but once you get used to blue foam, if you go back to polyfill you can actually taste the poly... bleh!

You might also want to check out the CE2 "clearomizers". I've been using those a lot lately. They have their own set of issues, but there's no filling at all, and the XL sized ones hold almost 2ml of juice.

 

[Turco Chips]

To add...I cut mine into a long trinagle shape. The pointy end goes into the cart first.

TC

 

[dekalbave]

Thanks Turco Chips for confirming that.

dormouse, I didn't even realize you can rinse them out to reuse. How often do you rinse them out?

 

[devnull71]

I went out and purchased the blue type U foam and have been playing around with it but haven't perfected it yet. Can anyone point me to a thread or video that explains the best way to cut it for a 510 atty?

I don't know if this is the best way, but this video is pretty much how I do it. One thing I'd recommend (if you haven't done it already) is wash the new Marineland foam with hot water. I tried one straight from the package and got a nasty taste. Video

 

[devnull71]

dormouse, I didn't even realize you can rinse them out to reuse. How often do you rinse them out?

I've been using the same 5 cut pieces for months now. I'll only throw one out when it doesn't look like new after a hot water rinse. One pack of that foam will last you a lifetime

 

[dekalbave]

Depends on how viscous your liquid is.

It's far from perfect, but once you get used to blue foam, if you go back to polyfill you can actually taste the poly... bleh!

Well, I used 100%VG so I guess it's will take a while with a new piece. And yeah, one of the reasons I got the foam was that I could get that polyfill taste when the cart got low, which was way too often.

Thanks.

 

[Turco Chips]

If you're using 100% VG I highly reccommend cutting the foam into a \/ shape. This allows better wicking. I also use a higher VG % in my juice.


TC

 

[Maxine]

I went out and purchased the blue type U foam and have been playing around with it but haven't perfected it yet. Can anyone point me to a thread or video that explains the best way to cut it for a 510 atty?

Rite-Size U Marineland blue foam (there are other Marineland foams that won't fit with this recipe).
Cut a piece of foam into a rectangle, 3/8" wide and 1/4" long. The 3/8" is the width of the cart. The foam thickness takes care of the narrow part of the cart. The 1/4" goes down into the cart. Any shorter than 1/4" and I get leaks.

Fill an empty cart with about 12 drops of liquid. Use tweezers to lower the foam into the cart until it's a teensy bit below the rim. Slowly add 2 or 3 more drops. I fit 15 drops of liquid into an empty 510 cart but the size of your bottle determines how many drops you get. The foam should look slushy but not pooling wet.

 

[MsBree]

Rite-Size U Marineland blue foam (there are other Marineland foams that won't fit with this recipe).
Cut a piece of foam into a rectangle, 3/8" wide and 1/4" long. The 3/8" is the width of the cart. The foam thickness takes care of the narrow part of the cart. The 1/4" goes down into the cart. Any shorter than 1/4" and I get leaks.

Fill an empty cart with about 12 drops of liquid. Use tweezers to lower the foam into the cart until it's a teensy bit below the rim. Slowly add 2 or 3 more drops. I fit 15 drops of liquid into an empty 510 cart but the size of your bottle determines how many drops you get. The foam should look slushy but not pooling wet.

This is EXCELLENT Reggie...I know you've helped many members out with your detailed instructions. I do the same thing, but use a bent paperclip to adjust the foam in the cart! Actually, I level the foam in the cart and then place on atty...the atty bridge will place the foam exactly where it needs to go! I use 50/50 PG/VG with no problem at all!

 

[Maxine]

This is EXCELLENT Reggie...I know you've helped many members out with your detailed instructions. I do the same thing, but use a bent paperclip to adjust the foam in the cart! Actually, I level the foam in the cart and then place on atty...the atty bridge will place the foam exactly where it needs to go! I use 50/50 PG/VG with no problem at all!

I use 80PG/20VG and tweezers instead of a paperclip. Same difference since I buy lightweight tweezers...
Be sure to take nice slow draws with this system, too, or you will get gurgling if not a mouth full of juice.

 

[MsBree]

Be sure to take nice slow draws with this system, too, or you will get gurgling if not a mouth full of juice.

Good point...I forgot to mention this!